A/N: Ok, this will be my second full length 9 story! Thanks to everyone who voted, but I decided to write this one first. I will probably still use tose other plot ideas, just later.

If you're worried about the rating, it's T because I'm too afraid that I'll get in trouble if I rate it anything under. There's a bit of violence and maybe some mature matter later on.

Sorry about the summary, I just love writing them in that sort of mysterious fashion.

The motivation for this story popped into my head one night, when I was thinking about 9 and 10 (for those of you who've read my other stories, you know what I'm talking about) discussing 10's extra piece. I thought, what if 10 discovered that she was going to die because of it? Then, I realized that that meant another whole story, so I turned it into this one.

And yes, this chapter has 9x7! :D Finally!

I haven't quite decided whose perspective to write from yet, and I switched in this chapter, but I'll hopefully have my mind made up by the time I write the next chapter. Also, this is my first time writing from 9's POV, so I hope I portray him and 7 well. I'll admit, in this chapter, 7 was acting a little out of character all ready, so hopefully I'll get better at writing about her.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own 9 or any of it's associated content.

Seven Days

Chapter 1 – Beast

7 had been out scouting, it hadn't really been much. She'd wandered around for the past half an hour, occasionally rooting through piles of debris from the war. Ever since her five friends have died, she'd felt like there was an empty hole inside of her. She missed them a lot, even though it had only been two weeks since their souls vanished into the sky. Now, she explored with 9 to pass the time. Unfortunately, today, he'd been too busy with some new project of his. She really enjoyed his company, and would've liked someone to talk to. She tested the resistance of a short pole, wondering if she could make another spear out of it. She bent it a bit, and it snapped right in half. She threw it back over her shoulder, muttering, "Lousy piece of…" She trailed off, as a towering shadow was suddenly visible on the ground in front of her. Gripping her spear tightly, she slowly turned around. Behind her, stood a Beast. It had one red eye, mounted on a stock that rotated around as it watched her. Its body slightly resembled some sort of giant bug, with six robotic legs. Each of its legs was tipped with three needle toes, which were splayed out on the ground. It didn't seem very deadly, but any machine was a bad machine. 7 charged toward the bug-like creature, bearing her spear in front of her. She swiped it at the Beast's cordlike neck, but all it left were a few scratches. The beast reared up, bringing one of its needle feet down on her, each of the three needles skewering her. She struggled to get free, but the three spots where the beast had penetrated her fabric began to tear as she moved. The bug lifted its opposite foot; then carefully used one needle finger to pull the thread out of 7's seam on her chest. She screamed a bit and tried to grab hold of its needle, but two new needle toes shot down and pinned her arms to the ground. Once the machine had each of her limbs stuck to the ground with a needle finger, it used two more of its digits to open her chest. It examined her insides before prying a small piece of metal off its body. It placed the metal inside 7, right below her voice box. 7 cringed as she felt the metal of the small chunk fuse with her internal skeleton. "I don't know what you did," she choked out, "But you're going down!" With new energy, she ripped her arms from its grasp, tearing her fabric in the process. Ignoring her rips, she lashed out and grabbed a hold of her spear, which she dug into the joint where the eye stock connected to the body. In a crowbar like motion, she popped the eye stock right off. The machine wretched a little bit, stumbling back and releasing 7 completely before tripping over and lying still. Once 7 was sure it was gone, she screamed. She was now covered with tears, one on each limb, and her entire chest ripped open. She collapsed down, worried that any more movement would just make her injuries worse. So, she sat there for a while, crying a bit in pain from where the Machine had ripped her fabric and scratched her skeleton. She finally dragged herself up, then hobbling miserably along, she made her way back to the Library.

9's POV...

Something bright penetrated the usual darkness of my sleep. There were a few flashes, followed by darkness, and another couple of flashes. I flailed my hand a bit, pushing away whatever it was that was flashing. Something poked me in the cheek, so I rolled over and pulled my blanket up over my head. I groaned as I felt something poke me in the small of my back. "Not right now," I muttered, pushing away whatever was trying to wake me up. I suspected the twins. They had the terrible habit of waking me up at the crack of dawn, and they thought this was funny! There was another series of flashing in front of my face, and they tugged at the blanket that I'd pulled up over my head. Now, both twins were flashing furiously, sending out seemingly random bunches of flashing. "I can't see you," I mumbled, closing my eyes tighter. Finally, it seemed that the twins had reached the end of their patience. I felt two sets of small hands dig into my back, and I was pushed out of my bed. I slammed into the ground with a noticeable thump. "Come on, you guys," I cried, standing up. "It's not funny anymore!" But when I looked at them, I saw no humor. Only fear. "W-what happened?" I stuttered, worried to find out. 3 came over and grabbed me by the arm and began to drag me towards the entrance to the Library. "Hey, what are you—" I cut myself off at what I saw. "Oh… oh, no…" I ran out towards the entrance, scared at what I might find. And when I turned her over, my fears were confirmed.

It was 7.

And she was dead.

Many rips and tears were visible all over her body, especially a large one on her chest, right beside her seam. Each arm was nearly torn off, and her legs had medium sized rips at the knees. I gently shook her shoulder. "Hey," I called quietly. "Hey, 7! C'mon, get up!" When she didn't move, I began to feel despair closing in on me. "No… no, 7, you can't be dead! You just can't be!" I shook her some more, but her body stayed limp.

I was crushed, so crushed that I didn't even hear the twins creeping up behind me. When 3 let out a few nervous clicks, I jumped, and whirled around. I sighed a bit. "Oh. It's you."

4 stepped forward and knelt down beside 7, gently stroking her cheek. I knew that 7 had been like a mother to them, and I could tell that they already missed her dearly.

Suddenly, 4 leapt up. She flashed something at 3, and both twins rushed off. I hung my head, feeling depressed. One of them, I wasn't sure which one, came up from behind me again and pulled on my arm.

"Not now," I muttered. "I don't feel like playing."

The twin, who I learned was 3, tugged on my arm relentlessly. Eventually, I sighed and stood up. 3 blinked very slowly so I could understand him. She's not dead, he flashed. He continued, and flashed something else that I couldn't understand. I was still learning to understand the twins.

"What's wrong with her then?" I asked, becoming a little frustrated.

3 blinked even slower. Something's been messing with her circuitry. She's just been drained of energy.

"Her circuitry," I repeated. "You mean, like, her insides? Her skeleton?" 3 nodded. "Shouldn't we… check? Y'know, to make sure it didn't pull out her heart or anything?" Again, 3 nodded.

As if on cue, 4 rushed back in, dragging the Annuls of Peracelsus with her. With some help from her twin, they flipped through the pages until they found one with the inside anatomy of the stitchpunk emblazoned on it. After staring at it for a little while, 4 nodded, and blinked that she thought she had it memorized. As the twins moved back to 7's body, I stayed staring at the picture. I'd never seen the insides of another stitchpunk; I'd always been the one being opened up.

I whirled around when I heard a weak groan coming from behind me. I found 7, now lying on her back, her eyes slowly blinking open. The twins were positioned on either side of her, helping her sit up.

"N-9?" she stuttered. "What… what happened?"

"I don't know…" I muttered. "You were just… I thought you were dead!"

Before I realized what was happening, I pulled 7 into a hug. "I was… so worried," I quietly whispered.

"There… there was this… this Machine," she whispered. "It… it cut me open. And it… it connected something to me." She looked at the twins, fear clearly visible in her eyes. "Am I going to die?"

3 shook his head, and blinked something to her that I couldn't understand. She nodded, and assured, "I wouldn't mind one bit. I have to know what it did."

So, the twins helped her over to a small bed, where she lay down, panting. It seemed that the effort of walking across the room had exhausted her. When the twins rushed off to check the picture again, I sat down next to 7. She grabbed my hand in hers. "I'm afraid…" she whispered. "And I don't want to die."

I was a bit shocked. This was still a side of her that I wasn't used to. Down there, on the bed, she looked so young, so fragile. So unlike herself. I gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. "Don't worry," I quietly told her. "The twins know what they're doing. I'm sure you'll be back to normal by tomorrow."

She seemed contented by that answer; for she lay her head back down on the pillow and closed her eyes. The twins rushed back in. 3 gently propped open each side of the seam on 7's chest, careful not to make the rip any worse. After closing her eyes for a moment, 4 poked her head into 7's chest. I sat on the edge of the desk, letting my legs dangle off the end. I heard quite a bit of clicking going on between the twins, but I was too afraid that if I looked back, 7 would be dead. Just like the rest of our friends. Without 7 by my side, my own thoughts seemed to bore down on me. It was all me; everything that had happened since the moment I woke up. I kicked the edge of the table a bit, cursing myself. If only I hadn't plugged that Talisman into the Fabrication Machine… But I couldn't change that now. It was too late for that. I subconsciously brought one hand up and felt the stitches placed on my left arm by 5. Out of all that had died, I missed him the most.

I suddenly felt a hand on my shoulder. I turned to find 3, looking solemnly at me. "W-what is it?" I stuttered. "Do you know what's wrong with her?"

3 shook his head and slowly explained, We are not sure yet, but there is some sort of metal sphere melded partway into her chest. We would pry it out, but 7 seems to be in pain again. We need to keep her calm. Will you assist us in the operation?

I nodded vigorously. "Oh, yes, definitely. I'd do anything for 7."

3 lead me back to where 7 lay. I could tell that she was getting restless, even as 4 stroked her forehead. 3 held open 7's chest, then pointed to a small steel ball, fused to her metal skeleton just under her voice box. I took a deep breath and tried to steady my hands. I realized that I was shaking uncontrollably; then I reminded myself that 7 was in pain. I lowered my hands into her chest. I felt a bit awkward, poking around such a personal area, whereas the twins seemed so open to it. I ran my fingers along the edge of the sphere, looking for any kind of lip that I could get my fingers under. When I found one, I began to tug. Gently at first, then getting harder as the ball began to budge. I continued to pry at it while 7 moaned with discomfort. I grimaced a bit, fearing that I was causing her more pain. But then, she lay still once more, and after a final tug, the sphere came loose. On the side that had been fused to 7's spine, I could see the edges of wires, still sparking a bit.

3 instantly stooped down and picked the object up; only to have it snatched away moments later by his twin. They both wandered off, lost in thought and wonder of the strange sphere. That left 7 and me. I turned slowly, hearing her panting a bit. Her eyes fluttered open for a second, then slid shut again. She groaned slowly and tried to roll over, but only succeeded in making the tear on one arm a bit bigger. I returned to her bedside, placing a hand on her shoulder. She stopped moving at my touch, and looked blearily up at me. She squinted a bit, before letting out another small cry of pain as one hand shot to her chest. "9…" she whispered. "W-what… what's happening?" She fell unconscious again, making me feel alone. It killed me to see her like that. One look at each of her tears made me wince, so I decided to patch her up. After finding some beige thread and a needle, I set to work on her left arm, the one with the largest tear now. I'd never sewn before, and I wasn't quite sure what to do with the knot at the end of the thread. I decided it would be best if it stayed on the inside of her fabric, so I started the first stitch from the inside. I then brought the needle over to the other side, and poked it through both edges this time. I continued this process until her arm was one piece again. I moved to her right arm, which hadn't been damaged as bad as her left, but still had a noticeable rip just above where her shield usually was. After patching that one up, I moved (somewhat hesitantly) to her legs. Luckily, they only had small puncture marks, which were quite easy to handle. I left her chest open, but did the best I could to clip it together with her fastener. I stood back to see how she looked, and gasped. She looked terrible, maybe even worse than before. But that wasn't the only thing that I gasped at. A beam of sunlight coming from one of the shattered windows had landed directly on her, like a spotlight. Her white fabric gleamed in the sun, and she looked serene and peaceful, despite her messy stitches. She was lying elegantly on her side, and I found myself tempted to reach out, to touch her, to trace her feminine form. But, I resisted. I couldn't help myself from looking though, examining every inch of her fabric. She seemed to be perfect. Beautiful, smart, funny, a natural warrior. And what was I? I was just some clumsy, bumbling idiot that murdered half her friends. I spun around when I heard a soft clicking noise coming from behind me. I turned to see 4, walking towards me, arms crossed, blinking angrily. "Did you find out what it was?" I asked her. Stupid 3 will not let me see, she blinked. He is hogging it all to himself. She suddenly gasped a silent gasp as she laid eyes on 7. She is so beautiful! She ran over and gently placed a hand on 7's cheek. I wish I could be that beautiful, 4 dreamily blinked. I mean, I'm not even feminine in the least. I chuckled a bit. "At first, I couldn't tell if you were a guy or a girl." When 4 shot me an angry glance, I shut up. "Sorry." I turned my gaze back to 7 and instantly regretted it. My stomach lurched and I nearly gasped again. She truly did look beautiful, sprawled out on the table. I felt slightly nauseous, as I did whenever 7 was in my sight. At that moment, 4 noticed that 7's wounds were patched up. Did you fix her? she blinked. "Y-yeah," I stuttered, caught a little by surprise. "I just thought… y'know, I didn't want her to be in pain, so…" I trailed off. It was as if my brain had crashed; I couldn't even form a full sentence. And it was what 4 said next that shocked me even more. You like her, don't you? This caught me by surprise. "What?" I exclaimed. "No… no, I couldn't possibly… she's just, like, beautiful. She'd never even think of liking me." No, I asked if you like her, 4 stated. "I… I," I stuttered trying to find the right words. "I care for her, but I—" I cut myself off, knowing that I only sounded like a bumbling fool again. "Yes. I really like her. But, I'm afraid that she'll never feel the same towards me." She's very caring, you know, 4 flashed, gently rubbing 7's shoulder. Even though she has a hard exterior, she's all soft and mushy on the inside. That delightful image will haunt me for the rest of my days. When 4 caught my horrified expression, she continued, I mean, her soul is like that. Hard and tough, but gentle at the same time. Changing the subject (I still had that mushy insides thing stuck in my brain) I asked, "Do you think 3's figured out what that sphere does yet?" 4's eyes instantly lit up. Probably not. I should go help him! She rushed off to find her twin, which left 7 and me alone again. Do you know what it's like when you know something's wrong to do, but you just have to do it? I get that feeling a lot. I absolutely love figuring stuff out, seeing how it works, taking it apart and putting it back together. Anyway, I got that feeling as I sat down next to 7. I gently placed one hand on her cheek, feeling her warmth. A small tingle went up my spine as I touched her. Stroking her gently, my mind wandered to her skullmet. She must've lost it in battle. Perhaps when she awoke, we could go find it. Suddenly, I noticed her shift in her sleep. There was some kind of spark behind her eyes, and she leapt up. "Where—where is it?" she panted. "The Beast…" She began to frantically look around, feverishly turning in a circle, and probably looking for her spear. I knew that she always like to have it at her side. "7!" I cried, waving my arms. "Calm down. Don't worry, it's gone. You're back at the Library." She looked around, as if in shock, then wobbled a bit and collapsed. Just as she was about to hit the ground, I dove in and caught her. "Whoa!" I cried. "Are you ok?" She raised a hand to her head. "How—how did I get here? I was just out there, with the Beast, and… and…" "7, that was hours ago," I assured her. "It's morning now. Don't worry. It attached some weird orb thingy, and the twins are trying to find out what it did. Does. Will do." I slapped my face into my palm. She sighed resentfully. "I hate it…" she whispered, burying her head in the fabric of my shoulder. I recoiled a bit at her touch; my stomach did a little flip-flop. I realized that she needed comforting, so I gently placed a hand on her back, just in the center of the patch that covered her 7. "Hate…" she whispered again. "Whenever I pass out in battle… there are these huge gaps in my memory. It's terrible… like my life is slipping away…" "7, don't say that," I comforted. "It's gonna be ok. You'll live for years to come. And you were only out for a few hours." She looked down at her arms, still all covered with my stitches. "Did you do this?" she questioned. I rubbed one arm, still nervous that she'd hate how messy it looked. "Uh… yeah. Sorry that they're so messy." She examined her arms. "Oh, forget about it. They're just fine, and I don't really care what I look like." She suddenly reached up to her head. "Where's my skullmet?" "I—I don't know," I stuttered, but I trailed off as she ran ahead. She sure seemed to have her energy back. "C'mon," she called back over her shoulder. "We should go search!" I ran along behind her, wondering how she was traveling so fast. I had to run to keep up, and she'd even slowed so she was jogging. "Do you even know where you're gonna look?" I cried up to her. "I mean, it could be anywhere!" Ok, I know I wasn't usually like this, but I didn't want 7 to hurt herself any more than she was already. "We just have to—" she cut herself off, chuckling a bit. "Found it!"

She clambered up onto a pile of debris, and picked up her skullmet. She dusted it off before placing it on her head again. She then ran down the side of the pile, skidding to a stop right in front of me. I raised my hands, as if to protect myself. "7, are you sure you should be doing this? I mean, you were just sewn up. Shouldn't you rest up first?"

She rolled her eyes. "I rested all day. And if there's one thing I can't stand, it's not moving for that long." She sighed, looking around. "And it's a beautiful day! It's not going to last for ever. As for the stitches," she looked down at herself. "I have to find what my new limits are."

She then ran ahead again, leaving me looking quite frazzled behind. "Where are we going now?" I called ahead.

"To find my spear," 7 answered, turning back a bit. "C'mon, you can help me!" I followed along, not wanting to leave her alone. I was afraid that she'd pass out, or rip herself again. If her skullmet had been here, her spear wouldn't be far away. I didn't even want to let her out of my sight, but it was quite hard with her running ahead so frequently. Unfortunately, I heard a grunt from behind a pile of debris. I rounded it to find 7 on her knees. "What happened?" I asked, bending down and helping her to her feet. "I… I just tripped," she said, getting up. Not a moment after she was on her feet again, she let out a small gasp of pain and fell to her knees again. "7," I began. "I think we should head back to the Library." "Nonsense," she sniffed. "I'm perfectly fine." She tried to stand, but fell again. I wrapped her arms around my shoulders and supported her as we began to head back towards the library. "9, I'm fine," she insisted, pushing my arms off. She took two steps then collapsed. She blinked up at me. "What… what is…" Her head began to droop and she fell unconscious. I sighed. Now it was going to be hard to get her to safety.

A/N: 7 was so out of character! That was such a fail. :P I'm sorry, but I'll try to explain why later. Anyway, I'm still not sure if I'm going to continue on this story, I don't know if people will enjoy it, so if you did, leave a comment! That's probably the only way I'll continue. Thanks!